Lemon Vodka Slush – The Best Summer Cocktail Recipe Ever!

Cool, refreshing and loaded with alcohol, this fresh lemon vodka slush is going to be your favourite summer cocktail of all time after you’ve had just one delicious sip! It’s super easy to make and yields a huge batch in one go. So you can spend just a few minutes prepping this drinkable heaven and have an almost never-ending supply of delicious slushy cocktails in your freezer to last you the whole of summer. Sound good? Let’s get to it!

Summer is the best time of the year, don’t you think? With long sunshine-filled days, fun BBQs with yummy eats and beautiful sunsets at the beach that you wish would never end. Such an amazing season deserves to be celebrated with an awesome cocktail, which is exactly where this lemon vodka slush comes in!

It’s my favorite summer cocktail recipe of all-time and it’s something I genuinely look forward to every single year. This cocktail is packed with exotic fruit juices, tart citrus flavors and a good kick of vodka. Not to mention the incredibly addictive frosty texture you won’t be able to get enough of. Nothing says summer more than a great big frosty glass full of lemon vodka slush. Especially if you’re sipping it at the beach or by the pool.

Ever since I first came across a recipe for lemon vodka slush years ago, I’ve been trying my hardest to perfect it and… I’ve finally done it! One thing you need to know before you make the best cocktail you’ll ever have: this lemon vodka slush is really moreish and although it’s got a lot of alcohol in, you really can’t taste it.

This makes drinking glass after glass of the stuff pretty dangerous! I was lounging by the pool one day enjoying a few glasses then struggled to walk in a straight line when I got up. You have been warned! If you’re not a fan of the alcohol kick, you can always use less vodka (but I wouldn’t!)

Aside from the amazing flavor, one of the best things about this recipe is how simple it is to make. Throw all the ingredients into a big plastic container, freeze, scoop and top with Sprite, 7Up or sparkling water. That’s all there is to it.

How to make healthy lemon vodka slush

If you use sugar and ordinary Sprite or 7Up to make this recipe, 1 glass will come in at 320 calories. If you want to reduce that down to just 180 calories per glass (that’s almost half!) without sacrificing any of the flavor or alcohol, listen up.

Swap the sugar for artificial sweetener. I can’t give you an exact quantity because different types of sweetener have different levels of sweetness. One of the little sweetener pill-type things I use at home is the equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. There are 48 teaspoons in 1 cup and 3 cups of sugar in this recipe. So that makes 144 individual sweetener pills. All the other flavors in this lemon vodka slush really mask the artificial sweetener taste. So using a zero-calorie sweetener is a great way to massively cut down on calories.

Use Sprite Zero, Diet 7Up or sparkling water. Another great way is to swap ordinary Sprite/7Up with the zero-calorie diet versions. This way you get the same taste without the calories. I think the artificial sweetener and natural sweetness from the fruit juices is more than enough for this cocktail, so I’m happy with sparkling water. But if you love really sweet cocktails, try one of the diet sodas instead.

Don’t use Stevia. Stevia has a really strong taste and it will overpower all the other flavors in this summer cocktail. So unless you’re a total Stevia-holic, stick to a mild-flavored artificial sweetener.

Essentials to make lemon vodka slush

You don’t need any unusual ingredients to make this summer cocktail. But you will need a seriously big freezer-safe plastic container because this recipe makes a lot of lemon vodka slush. You could make a half batch, but where’s the fun in that?

A 29-cup container will just about do the trick. The volume of water hugely reduces during the boiling process, so the container won’t be full to the brim. Containers this big are hard to find, but you can easily pick one up online. This is the container I use. It’s super sturdy and you’ll be able to use it to make lemon vodka slush for years and years!

While you’re at it, you’ll want to get a solid ice cream scoop to help you scoop out all the slushy goodness, too. This stuff can be quite hard when it freezes and you don’t want to end up bending all your spoons.

More frozen vodka slush recipes

If you love frozen summer cocktails like this lemon vodka slush, you’ve absolutely got to try my strawberry vodka slush! It’s a simpler version of this cocktail, made with fewer ingredients and a sweet strawberry hit. Oh, and make sure you save this vodka cranberry slush on Pinterest or in your bookmarks, so you can enjoy festive slushy cocktails when Christmas comes around.

Lemon Vodka Slush

Cool, refreshing and loaded with alcohol, this lemon vodka slush is going to be your favourite summer cocktail of all time after you've had just one delicious sip!

Prep Time40mins

Freezing time23hrs20mins

Total Time1d

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon vodka slush

Servings: 20drinks

Calories: 320kcal

Ingredients

8cupswater / 4 cups water if using sweetener

3cupsgranulated sugaryou can substitute an artificial sweetener

6cupspineapple juice

5cupsvodka

1cupfresh lemon juicefrom 4 large lemons

2cupsfresh grapefruit juicefrom 2 large grapefruits

4cupsSprite / 7Up + extra for mixing before servingyou can substitute Sprite/7Up Zero or sparkling water

Instructions

In a large saucepan over a high heat, stir together the water and granulated sugar or artificial sweetener. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat down to medium-low. Leave to bubble for 10 minutes, until the sugar/sweetener has completely dissolved.

When the simple syrup has cooled, stir in the rest of the ingredients (pineapple juice, vodka, lemon juice, grapefruit juice and 4 cups of Sprite/7Up/sparkling water). Place the container in the freezer for at least 24 hours to set.

When you're ready to serve, use an ice cream scoop to scoop out enough of the lemon vodka slush to fill a glass and pour over extra Sprite/7Up until it reaches the rim. Mix the drink with a straw or spoon to make it slushy then serve immediately.

Notes

1 glass is 180 calories if you use zero-calorie artificial sweetener and zero-calorie Sprite/7Up/sparkling water.

Hi Diana. You add the grapefruit just in step 3: “3. When the simple syrup has cooled, stir in the rest of the ingredients, including 4 cups of Sprite/7Up. Place the container in the freezer for at least 24 hours to set.”

You get grapefruit juice just like you’d get lemon or orange juice – by cutting the fruit in half and squeezing. I hope this helps!

I found this lovely recipe on the Share Your Stuff Tuesdays link party and thought I’d stop by. I am currently doing a call out for no-bake recipes on my recipe link party, The Yuck Stops Here and would love it if you would bring this recipe and any of your other no-bake favorites to the party! The party starts tonight (Tuesday) at 8pm ET and can be found on my blog, Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos. I hope to see you there! HUGS

By the way, I would love to have you post on my new blog hop—the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home (www.myflagstaffhome.com). It begins on Thursday evenings and lasts through the weekend, if you’re interested.

This looks DELISH!!! One quick question,it says 4 cups lemonade (such as Sprite or 7Up) + extra for mixing – which are really two different things. Do you recommend lemonade or lemon/lime soda? Can’t wait to make this for our upcoming trip to the lake!

Hi Aubie. Thanks so much for visiting! Sorry for the confusion, I know in the US lemonade is a still drink made with lemon juice, but in Europe, lemonade is lemon/lime soda, i.e. Sprite/7Up – so that’s what I recommend. The fizz from the lemon/lime soda really give the cocktail a wonderful flair! Hope you have a great time at the lake 🙂

Hi Chris! I’ve just done some research online and found you can make a simple syrup (which is basically what the sugar and water is in this recipe) using artificial sweetener! So if you could get your hands on 3 cups of stevia powder, you could use it to replace the sugar in this recipe.

Hi Paula! Good thinking with the lime juice, but I think it might make it a bit too tart. To substitute the 2 cups of grapefruit juice, try 1/2 cup lime juice and 1 1/2 cups of orange juice. This way you should still have the slightly tart taste that grapefruit gives, but it won’t be too much.

PAULA!!! I just wanted you to know that if you think you can’t have any grapefruit bc of taking statins, it’s not entirely the case …I’ve been on lipitor for eons and miss grapefruit, so I periodically check online hoping for an update in that info. Just last night I saw that a little ea day is fine, especially an actual grapefruit, which adds up to a slight amt of juice …same would go with the tiny amt in ea serving of this heavenly slush. I dbl checked w my Dr and he agreed …I’m ecstatic, as should you be 🙂

When I saw this recipe it brought back memories from the 80’s. My mom’s friend always made this in the summertime. It’s amazing and I’ve had it blueberry style! Thank you for posting. I will surely be making this soon!!

I found this recipe last summer after moving to Arizona. I am now about to make my third batch, also without grapefruit juice. I just add extra lemon. I didn’t think about adding like juice. I keep a supply of simple syrup on hand for cocktails, so do you think 4 cups would be sufficient? Lastly, I tried blindly in fresh strawberries before serving and it was delicious, so now they are just going into the mix!

What an amazing idea to blend in fresh strawberries, Shawn! I’m definitely going to give that a try myself! If you’re using simple syrup you’ve already made, I think 4 cups would be the perfect amount. I’m so happy you like my recipe and hope it keeps you cool in the scorching Arizona heat!

Hi Tammy! If you’re using sugar to make the simple syrup, you need 8 cups of water. If you use artificial sweetener to make the syrup, you only need 4 cups of water. Sugar is a lot more voluminous than sweetener, so you need more water to break it down and turn it into a syrup. I hope this helps! 🙂